Cigarette transfer apparatus



Dec. 7, 1965 J. G. KELLY ETAL CIGARETTE TRANSFER APPARATUS 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 11, 1964 INVENTORS JAMES G. KELLY BY VERNON C.STANT g 32 MN A ORNEYS Dec. 7, 1965 J. G. KELLY ETAL 3, 2 10 CIGARETTE TRANSFER APPARATUS Filed March 11 1964 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 l 3 5;. HUM 3 mIm M m im wtii" 4e 7?} 123 45-52%. N 1 22 "HI" I E I; T; I i 32 t? i lNVENTORs JAMES G. KELLY ATTORNEYS BY VERNON C. STANT MM V fizdaz/ 1965 J. a. KELLY ETAL 3,222,

CIGARETTE TRANSFER APPARATUS Filed March ll 1964 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 1: li i/ 8 IE. ir

1; I N l l ll ln I IH" FIG. 6

mm l A Mn INVENTORS JAMES G. KELLY By VERNON C. STANT ATTORNEYS Dec. 7, 1965 J. G. KELLY ETAL CIGARETTE TRANSFER APPARATUS 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed March 11 1964 INVENTORS JAMES G. KELLY VERNON C. STANT M BY WNEYS Dec. 7, 1965 J. G. KELLY ETAL v CIGARETTE TRANSFER APPARATUS 7 Sheets-Sheet '7 Filed March 11 1964 INVENTOR JAMES G. KELLY BY VERNON C. STANT ATTORNEYS 1%, m wfw B m F United States Patent 3,222,110 CIGARETTE TRANSFER APPARATUS James G. Kelly and Vernon C. Stant, Richmond, Va., assignors to The American Tobacco Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Mar. 11, 1964, Ser. No. 350,998 8 Claims. (Cl. 302-2) This invention relates to cigarette transfer apparatus and, more particularly, to apparatus for transferring cig-v arettes overhead from a maker to a collector.

In the manufacture of cigarettes, it is common to have a number of cigarette makers arranged as close to one another as possible to conserve space. It is desirable to interconnect the output of several makers so that their outputs are combined in a common collector or stacker, but to do this usually requires the transportation of the cigarettes overhead to get above one or more makers and related equipment. In addition, in spite of the movement of cigarettes over these obstacles, the cigarettes must be controlled in speed and position as they are finally delivered to the collecting station in order to permit their orderly and efficient packing.

We have now developed apparatus for transferring cigarettes from a maker overhead to a collector, this apparatus being characterized by its adaptability to handling the output from two independent makers and by its ability to control the movement of the cigarettes at their point of collection so that they may be orderly stacked regardless of the height and distance they must travel from the maker to the collector. Our novel apparatus includes air lift means adapted to be positioned adjacent the discharge end of the maker from which the cigarettes are individually discharged, and means for transporting the cigarettes from the maker or makers to the air lift means and for orienting and aligning the individual cigarettes with the entrances to the air lift devices. The air lift means delivers the cigarettes in end to end axial relationship onto a substantially horizontally disposed carrier for carrying the cigarettes overhead, and discharge means are associated with the carrier for discharging the cigarettes therefrom individually in axially aligned position. Speed control means are arranged to establish a uniform linear speed of the discharged axially aligned cigarettes not less than the linear speed with which the cigarettes are produced in the maker, and speed increasing means are pro vided to increase the linear speed of cigarettes leaving the speed control means by an amount sufiicient to establish a space between the adjacent ends of the axially aligned cigarettes. The thus spaced cigarettes are delivered to vertical transfer means for lowering the cigarettes to a collector, this transfer means being provided with a serpentine channel adapted to receive the axially moving spaced cigarettes and to lower the cigarettes individually in a substantially horizontal axial position into a collector or stacker.

These and other novel features of the apparatus of our invention will be more readily understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings in which FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus with portions highlighted by the magnified cross-sectional views 1a, 1b and FIG. 2 is a view drawn to an enlarged scale of the upper portion of the apparatusshown at the right in FIG. 1 partly in elevation and partly in vertical section and showing the maker to air lift transfer, orienting and aligning mechanism;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal section taken on line 33 of FIG. 2;

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FIG. 4 is a vertical section taken on broken l n of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a vertical section taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 2;

"FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the intake portion of one of the air lift tubes shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a detailed cross-sectional view taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a detailed vertical section taken on line 8-8 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a plan view drawn to an enlarged scale of the portion of the apparatus shown at the left in FIG. 1 showing the end of the horizontal conveyor and the speed control and speed increasing means;

FIG. 10 is a vertical transverse section taken on broken line 10e10 of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on line 1111 of FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is a vertical section taken on line 12-12 of FIG. 11 and FIG. 13 is a view in end elevation of the vertical serpentine transfer device, taken in the direction indicated by the line 13-413 in FIG. 11, portions being broken away and shown in vertical section.

A general outline of the apparatus will first be given; then the several sections will be described in some detail.

The transfer apparatus of the invention is positioned to receive two rows of cigarettes produced by two separate makers and transported along two catcher belts 20 (FIG. 4) and 21 arranged side by side as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The cigarettes C are carried broadside along these belts between pairs of guide walls 22 and 23 and as the belts pass around a supporting drum 24 (FIGS. 2 and 4) the cigarettes move across floor members 25 and 26 and are discharged over the ends of these floor members into spaces 27 and 27a (FIG. 2) which constitute hoppers having sloping end walls 28 (FIG. 4) and vertical sides formed by the guide walls 22 and 23.

Enclosures 27 and 27a constitute part of an orienting and aligning mechanism 30 by means of which the cigarettes are aligned with the intake ends of a group of air lift tubes 31, the intake ends of which are located below the enclosures 27. This mechanism is at the upper end of an agitator stand 32.

The cigarettes are elevated by the air lift tubes 31 to a height suflicient to be conveyed axially by means of a horizontally disposed carrier 33 (FIG. 1). This horizontal carrier comprises advantageously V-shaped upper trough sections 34 (FIGS. 8 and 11) one for each air lift tube 31, mounted on the top of a plenum chamber 35. The bottom of the trough is provided throughout its length with horizontally spaced sloping openings 36 through which air in the plenum escapes upwardly into the trough.

Air is supplied to the plenum under suitable pressure through a supply duct 37 and a chamber 38. Inasmuch as air supply duct 37 is located near the cigarette receiving end of the horizontal carrier 33, and inasmuch as the spaced openings 36 are angled in the direction towards the discharge end of the carrier 33, the air issuing through the openings 36 has not only an upward component but also a forward component which assists in carrying the cigarettes along the trough and causes their discharge in axially aligned position at the end of the carrier.

The V-shape of carrier trough 34 causes the upwardly directed force of the air jets 36 to become rapidly dissipated so that these jets do not exert any significant lifting effect beyond the immediate bottom of the trough.

The cigarettes C leaving the discharge end of the horizontal carrier 33, are acted upon by combined speed control and speed increasing means 39 (FIG. 1), the

speed control means establishing a uniform linear speed of the cigarettes at not less than the speed with which the cigarettes are produced by the maker, and the speed increasing means causing the ends of the cigarettes to be spaced apart, as shown in detail in the magnified view 1b. The thus separated cigarettes are then discharged lengthwise and dropped into the top of a vertical serpentine transfer device 40 and descend into guide ducts 41 which deliver the cigarettes into a conventional collector or stacker.

The orienting and the aligning transfer mechanism 30 (FIGS. 17) by which the cigarettes are transferred from the maker to the intake ends of the air lift tubes 31 will now be described.

Depending on the length of the catcher belts 20 and 21, the cigarettes have a tendency to lose their broadside and parallel relationship as they travel along the belts. Hence when they reach the floor members 25 and 26 (FIG. 2) and are discharged over the ends thereof into spaces 27 and 27a, they may be in states of varying degrees of non-parallelism. In order to orient the cigarettes and place them again in parallel relationship to each other, the floor of each of the hopper spaces 27 and 27a is composed of a set of 3 oscillating rollers 42 and 42a.

These rollers are mounted for rotation in bearings such as indicated at 43 in the frame of agitator stand 32. Each set of rollers 42 and 42a is arranged in a common horizontal plane and spaced apart so as to leave spaces between them indicated at 43a and 43b sufficient to allow free passage of the cigarettes when aligned in parallel relation to the rollers.

To agitate the cigarettes resting on these rollers so as to bring them into parallel relation therewith, the rollers are continuously oscillated by means of a reciprocating rack bar 44 which is arranged for sliding movement crosswise of the agitator stand frame. The teeth of rack 44 are on its lower surface and mesh with the teeth of pinions 45 which are fixed to the shaft which supports each of the three pairs of rollers 42 and 42a. Rack 44 is held in engagement with the pinions by means of a stationary block 46 which bears against the top of the rack.

Reciprocating movement is imparted to rack 44 by means of an electric motor 47 which through a built-in speed reducing gearing drives a pulley 48 at slow rotation speed. Pulley 48 is belted to a second pulley 49 on a shaft 50 supported for rotation in bearings 51. Projecting from the left end of shaft 50 there is a crank member 52 which is connected by a link member (not known) to the lower end of a rocking bar 53. This bar is pivoted at 54 to the machine frame, and its upper end is connected by a flexible link 55 to the right end of rack 44 as shown in FIG. 4. The location of pivot 54 is such as to multiply the movement imparted to its lower end by the eccentric crank 52 and thus produce the desired extent of oscillation of the rollers 42 and 42a.

The middle rollers 42 and 42a are slightly smaller in diameter than their cooperating outside rollers 42 and 42a, and middle pinion 45 is considerably smaller in diameter than the other two pinions as shown particularly in FIG. 4. The arrangement is such that the surface speed of each middle roller is somewhat higher than the surface speeds of the flanking rollers, and this tends to impart rotation to the cigarettes as they pass through the spaces 43a and 43b.

In passing through these spaces the cigarettes are delivered to short vertical serpentine transfer devices 56 and 47 (FIG. 2) which are similar in construction to transfer device 40 of FIG. 13 to be described later on. Transfer device 56 delivers the cigarettes from rollers 42 to two trough-like members 58 (FIG. which are in horizontal alignment respectively with the two upper air lift tubes 31. Vertical transfer device 57 delivers the cigarettes from rollers 42a to two similar troughlike members 59 (FIG. 2) which are respectively in horizontal alignment with the two lower air lift tubes 31.

Blasts of air under automatic control to be later described issue intermittently from jets 60 and 61 (FIG. 2), there being two jets 60 delivering air to the right ends of the two upper troughs 58 (FIGS. 2 and 5), and two jets 61 delivering air through the two lower troughs 59. Cigarettes received in these four troughs are carried to the left by the air blasts into the right ends of the air lift tubes 31. The lower portions of these four air lift tubes are arranged in upper and lower pairs as above indicated, the tubes of each pair being in a common horizontal plane. From FIG. 1 it is seen that the upper end portions of all four of the tubes 31 are also in a common horizontal plane.

Each of the four air lift tubes is provided at its lower end with an entrance member 62 (FIG. 6) which is funnel-shaped at its right end to guide the entering cigarettes. Such entrance member is grooved at 63 near its left hand end, the formation of which groove forms a flange 64. Converging air jet passages 65 are formed in this flange so that air delivered through a connection 66 (FIG. 7) to the groove 63 is ejected through the jet openings 65. Such a series of jets is received within a second end member 67 mounted on the air lift tube and having a flared or bellshape formation at its right end to receive and guide the air from jets 65.

The air from entrance jets 61 propel the cigarettes into member 62, and the venturi action of jets 65 draws the cigarettes forward and then propels them towards the left. It will be understood that air lift tubes 31 may vary in length depending upon the elevation of horizontal conveyor 33, and to regulate the momentum imparted to the cigarettes by the air jets 60, 61 and 65, and the pressure of the air behind the cigarettes as they pass upwardly through the tubes 31, an adjustable sleeve 68 is arranged on each of tubes 31. This may be slid longitudinally to uncover as many of a set of escape or exhaust apertures 69 as is required to bring about the desired pressure adjustment to raise the cigarettes to conveyor 33.

It will be understood that the serpentine channel in the vertical transfer device 57 is somewhat longer than the channel in device 56, shown in FIG. 5, in order to reach the troughs 59 for the lower set of air lift tubes 31.

As previously indicated, the cigarettes are delivered by the left hand ends of the air lift tubes 31 into the several troughs 34 of horizontal carrier 33, such carrier including a trough 34 for each of the air lift tubes 31 so that carrier 33 comprises four of these troughs 34 arranged in a horizontal plane both crosswise and lengthwise.

The apparatus of our invention is advantageously provided with means for controlling the speed of the cigarettes discharged from each of troughs 34 so as to make the cigarette speed correspond to the speed of travel in these troughs which also corresponds to the output of the cigarette-making machines. The apparatus also provides means for increasing the speed of each cigarette so that the cigarettes will not be in end-to-end contact as they are delivered to the serpentine transfer device 40. Such speed control and speed increasing means are shown in FIGS. 9-12.

As there are four troughs 34 in carrier 33 there are also four mechanisms for controlling and for increasing the speed of the cigarettes. We have found it advantageous to combine these four sets of elements into pairs. Thus for each two channels 34 there is a speed control roll or wheel 70 and a speed increasing roll or wheel 74, together with an endless belt 71 disposed below these wheels as shown in FIG. 11. Control wheel 70 is provided with two peripheral grooves 72 and 72', one to receive the cigarettes from one of the troughs 34 and one to receive those from the second trough 34. Similarly speed increasing wheel 74 is provided with two spaced peripheral grooves 75 which are arranged in alignment with the grooves 72 and 72 (FIG. 9). Such speed control wheel 70 and speed increasing wheel 74 are duplicated for the third and fourth carrier troughs 34.

.5 The cigarettes delivered from the left ends of the four carrier troughs 34 are received between the respective peripheral grooves 72 and 72' of the two speed control wheels 70 and the upper surfaces of the two belts 71, as is seen in FIG. 11 and FIG. lb. Returning to the description of the speed control wheels 70 and speed-increasing wheels 74 these wheels are driven at different surface speeds. The arrangement is such that the root speed, that is the surface speed of the bottoms of grooves 72 and 72', corresponds to the linear speed of the cigarettes in troughs 34 which, as previously stated, also corresponds with the output of the cigarette makers. The root speed of the control wheels 70 is the same as the linear speed of the surface of the two belts 71 and is less than the root speed of speed-increasing wheels 74. There is therefore, a slight backward slippage of the cigarettes with respect to belts 71 as they pass beneath control wheels 70.

It is to be seen from FIGS. 1 and 11 that the cigarettes travel towards the left in order to be delivered to the serpentine transfer device 40. Cigarettes leaving the speed increasing wheels 74 as they are carried along the belts 71 are maintained in axial aligned position on the belt by means of four pairs of cooperating channel-shaped guides 76 which are adjustably secured to supporting bars 77. In this way, each cigarette carried by belt 71 is maintained in its proper position for discharge into the serpentine transfer device 40 (FIGS. 11 and 13).

The drive for wheels 70 and 74 and belts 71 is as follows:

The two belts 71 at their left ends pass around two driving rolls 78 (FIG. 11) which are fixed to a crossshaft 79, and at their right ends, pass around two idler rolls 80 which are supported on a parallel cross-shaft 81.

In order that the upper reaches of belts 71 may travel toward the left drive roll 78 and drive shaft 79 rotate in the counter clockwise direction as shown by the arrow, and in order for the lower surfaces of the grooves of speed increasing rolls 74 to travel toward the left, these rolls rotate in the clockwise direction as shown by the arrow. Control wheels 70 are shown as being friction driven by means of O-rings 73 which engage the surfaces of belts 71, so that wheels 70 rotate clockwise. Because the outside diameter of O-n'ngs 73 is larger than the diameter of grooves 72, the root speed of rolls 70 is less than the linear speed of belts 71 and the root speed of speed-increasing rolls 74.

Rolls 74 are secured to a shaft 82. The two shafts 79 and 82 are driven in opposite directions and at the proper relative speeds by any suitable driving arrangement. As illustrated, an electric motor 83 (FIG. 1) is arranged to drive, through suitable reduction and reversing gearing incorporated in the motor, two concentric shafts, an inner shaft 84 (FIG. 9) which rotates counter clockwise (FIG. 1), and an outer or sleeve shaft 85 which has clockwise rotation. Drive shaft 79 which drives belt 71 is provided with a pulley 86, and a belt 87 is trained around this pulley and a pulley 88 on inner shaft 84 which rotates in the counter clockwise direction. Shaft 82 carrying the two speed-increasing rolls 74 has a pulley 89 fixed near its outer end, and a belt 90 passes around this pulley and a pulley 91 which is fixed to the sleeve shaft 85 which, as stated, rotates in the clockwise direction.

It will be understood that inasmuch as driving pulleys 88 and 91 are of the same diameter, driven pulley 89 is made slightly smaller in diameter than driven pulley 86 so that the root speed of speed-increasing rolls 74 and the surface speed of belts 71 are slightly higher than the root speed of control rolls 70. The cigarettes being engaged by grooves 75 which make semi-circular contact with the cigarettes supported on the belts of 71 are moved forward a sufficient distance to separate each cigarette from end to end contact with the cigarette following which is traveling at the speed of the speed limiting rolls 70.

and the two outer sets.

closes the valve.

The cigarettes discharged from each belt 71 fall forwardly and downwardly into the top of the serpentine transfer device 40. The paths of these cigarettes during this limited fall would be uniform if all cigarettes had a uniform weight, but an occasional cigarette will have a slightly greater weight than the average and has a tendency to travel more horizontally and thus tends to overshoot the serpentine transfer device. In order to safeguard against this, a parabolically-shaped cover plate 92 (FIG. 11) is positioned over the top of the serpentine transfer device. Cigarettes which have a normal weight do not generally make contact with the cover plate 92, but overweight cigarettes are guided by the plate into proper position at the top of the transfer device.

The serpentine transfer device 40, as shown in detail in FIGS. 1c, 11 and 13, is advantageously formed of three parallel sets of vertical guide plates 93 (FIGS. 10 and 11). Each set, as shown in FIG. 13, comprises a plurality of these plates having identically shaped sinusoidal edges 94. By spacing the plates of each set transversely apart from one another by a distance slightly greater than the thickness of a cigarette, serpentine channels 95 are provided, four such channels being shown in FIG. 13. The provision of three parallel sets of channels (FIG. 11) spaced to contact the central and opposite end portions of the cigarettes controls the downward movement of each cigarette so that it travels with its axis horizontal. The tortuous passages provided by the ser pentine channels slow the movement of each cigarette so that its downward speed is limited. Accordingly, regardless of the height of the serpentine channels, the cigarettes are not damaged as they descend into guide ducts 41 which deliver the cigarettes into a conventional collector or stacker.

It was previously mentioned that blasts of air issue from jets 60 and 61 (FIG. 2) which carry the cigarettes received in the two upper troughs 58 and the two lower troughs 59 into the two pairs of air lift tubes 31 (FIG. 4) by which the cigarettes are carried to the right ends of the air carriers 33 (FIG. 1) which in turn deliver the cigarettes to the speed control mechanism 39 which in turn delivers them to the upper end of the vertical serpentine transfer device 40. It is important to regulate the rate of delivery of the cigarettes to this transfer device in order to prevent jamming at the top of this device should it become completely filled with cigarettes.

In order to accomplish this two conventional electric eye devices are mounted one in each of the two vertical spaces between the center set of guide plates 93 (FIG. 11) These devices comprise light sources such as electric lamps 96 and 96, and associated with these respective light sources there are upper and lower cells 97 and 97 and 98 and 98'.

The circuitry for these cells includes a source of electric energy and a circuit from each of the cells to one of a series of four solenoid operated valves 99 (FIG. 2), one of which is provided in each of the jet tubes 60 and 61, two of which, it will be remembered, are at the upper level in FIG. 2 and two of which are at the lower level. Energization of the operating coil of each of these valves When the light beam to one or more of the cells is cut off by one or more cigarettes in any of the four serpentine channels 95 (FIG. 13), this causes the solenoid operated valve 99 which is connected to that particular cell, to be energized so that the air blast at the entrance to that particular tube 31 is cut off.

The electric eye devices are arranged at a suitable distance below the top of transfer device 40 so as to reduce the supply of cigarettes to the upper end of the transfer device before all of the channels 95 of the transfer device become completely filled with cigarettes.

In other words, the delivery of cigarettes to the ends of the four air lift tubes 31 is individually con-trolled by air blast interruption so as to prevent the collection of cigarettes above a predetermined level in the serpentine channels of the transfer device.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for transferring cigarettes overhead from a maker to a collector which comprises air lift means adapted to be positioned adjacent the discharge end of the maker from which the cigarettes are received by the air lift means, a substantially horizontally disposed carrier positioned adjacent the discharge end of the air lift means and capable of carrying cigarettes in axially aligned relationship as received from the air lift means, discharge means associated with the horizontal carrier for discharging the cigarettes therefrom individually in axially aligned position, speed control means adapted to establish a uniform linear speed of the discharged axially aligned cigarettes not less than the linear speed with which the cigarettes are produced in the maker, speed increasing means adapted to increase the linear speed of cigarettes leaving the speed control means by an amount sufiicient to establish a space between adjacent ends of the axially aligned cigarettes, and vertical transfer means for lowering the spaced cigarettes to a collector, said transfer means being provided with a serpentine channel adapted to receive the axially moving spaced cigarettes and to lower the cigarettes individually while in a substantially horizontal axial position.

2. Apparatus for transferring cigarettes as set forth in claim 1 wherein the air lift means comprises a plurality of air lift tubes having their lower ends positioned at the level of the discharge end of the maker from which the cigarettes are discharged broadside, and having additionally an endless horizontal belt for receiving the cigarettes from the maker, and means for transferring the cigarettes from the belt to the air lift tubes including means for orienting and aligning the cigarettes with the inlet ends of the respective tubes.

3. Apparatus for transferring cigarettes as set forth in claim 2 wherein the orienting means comprises a group of continuously oscillating parallel rollers, means for depositing cigarettes from the maker on to the rollers, means for oscillating the rollers so that the adjacent surfaces of adjacent rollers move in opposite directions, adjacent rollers having parallel passages between them through which the cigarettes are worked under the combined influence of gravity and the oscillating motion of the rollers.

4. Apparatus for transferring cigarettes as set forth in claim 3 in which the intake ends of a plurality of the air lift tubes are disposed in parallel relation in a common horizontal plane, the aligning means comprising an open trough disposed in line with the intake end of each of said air lift tubes and a vertical serpentine transfer device for receiving the cigarettes in parallel relation from the orienting means, maintaining them in parallel relation and delivering them still in parallel relation so said troughs.

5. Apparatus for transferring cigarettes as set forth in claim 2 in which the intake ends of a plurality of the air lift tubes are disposed in parallel relation in a common horizontal plane, the aligning means comprising an open trough disposed in line with the intake end of each of said air lift tubes and a vertical serpentine transfer device for receiving the cigarettes in parallel relation from the orienting means and delivering them still in parallel vice for receinving the cigarettes in parallel relation from relation to said troughs.

6. Apparatus for transferring cigarettes overhead from a maker to a collector which comprises air lift means adapted to be positioned adjacent the discharge end of the maker from which the cigarettes are received by the air lift means, a substantially horizontally disposed carrier positioned adjacent the discharge end of the air lift means and capable of carrying cigarettes in axially aligned relationship as received from the air lift means,

discharge means associated with the horizontal carrier for discharging the cigarettes therefrom individually in axially aligned position, a grooved wheel cooperating with an endless horizontal belt adjacent the discharge end of the carrier to receive each discharged cigarette and establish a uniform linear speed of the cigarettes not less than the linear speed with which the cigarette are produced in the maker, speed increasing means adapted to increase the linear speed of cigarettes-leaving the speed control means by an amount sufiicient to establish a space between adjacent ends of the axially aligned cigarettes, and vertical transfer means for lowering the spaced cigarettes to a collector, said transfer means being provided with a serpentine channel adapted to receive the axially moving spaced cigarettes and to lower the cigarettes individually while in a substantially horizontal axial position.

7. Apparatus for transferring cigarettes overhead from a maker to a collector which comprise elevator means adapted to be positioned adjacent the discharge end of the maker from which the cigarettes are individually discharged broadside, the elevator being adapted to raise the cigarettes individually while maintaining their axes substantially horizontal, a substantially horizontally disposed carrier positioned adjacent an elevated portion of the elevator means and capable of carrying cigarettes in axially aligned relationship, transfer means for moving the cigarettes individually and axially onto the horizontally disposed carrier, discharge means associated with the carrier for discharging the cigarettes therefrom individually in axially aligned position, speed control means adapted to establish a uniform linear speed of the discharged axially aligned cigarettes not less than the linear speed with which the cigarettes are produced in the maker,

a speed increasing grooved wheel cooperating with an endless belt, said wheel and belt being Ipositioned adjacent the discharge side of the speed control means and adapted to increase the linear speed of cigarettes leaving the speed control means by an amount sufficient to establish a. space between adjacent ends of the axially aligned cigarettes, and vertical transfer means for lowering the spaced cigarettes to a collector, said transfer means being provided with a serpentine channel adapted to receive the axially moving spaced cigarettes and to lower the cigarettes individually while in a substantially horizontal axial position.

8. Apparatus for transferring cigarettes overhead from a maker to a collector which comprises elevator means adapted to be positioned adjacent the discharge end of the maker from which the cigarettes are individually discharged broadside, the elevator being adapted to raise the cigarettes individually while maintaining their axes substantially horizontal, a substantially horizontally disposed carrier positioned adjacent an elevated portion of the elevator means and capable of carrying cigarettes in axially aligned relationship, transfer means for moving the cigarettes individually and axially onto the horizontally disposed carrier, discharge means associated with the carrier for discharging the cigarettes therefrom individually in axially aligned position, means for spacing the discharged cigarettes endwise from one another, and vertical transfer means for lowering the spaced cigarettes to a collector, said transfer means being provided with a serpentine channel adapted to receive the axially moving spaced cigarettes and to lower the cigarettes individually while in a substantially horizontal axial position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,778,691 l/l957 Hazel 302-2 3,062,588 11/1962 Molins 302-2 3,089,732 5/1963 Gamberini 302-2 SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Primary Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,222,110 December 7, 1965 James G. Kelly et a1.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 3, line 48, for "known" read shown line 67, for "47" read 57 column 7 line 55, for "so" read to line 65, strike out "vice for receinving the cigarettes in parallel relation from".

Signed and sealed this 4th day of October 1966.

(SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER EDWARD J. BRENNER Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

1. APPARATUS FOR TRANSFERRING CIGARETTES OVERHEAD FROM A MAKER TO A COLLECTOR WHICH COMPRISES AIR LIFT MEANS ADAPTED TO BE POSITIONED ADJACENT THE DISCHARGE END OF THE MAKER FROM WHICH THE CIGARETTES ARE RECEIVED BY THE AIR LIFT MEANS, A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED CARRIER POSITIONED ADJACENT THE DISCHARGER END OF THE AIR LIFT MEANS AND CAPABLE OF CARRYING CIGARETTES IN AXIALLY ALIGNED RELATIONSHIP AS RECEIVED FROM THE AIR LIFT MEANS, DISCHARGE MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH THE HORIZONTAL CARRIER FOR DISCHARING THE CIGARETTES THEREFROM INDIVIDUALLY IN AXIALLY ALIGNED POSITION, SPEED CONTROL MEANS ADAPTED TO ESTABLISH A UNIFORM LINEAR SPEED OF THE DISCHARGED AXIALLY ALIGNED CIGARETTES NOT LESS THAN THE LINEAR SPEED WITH WHICH THE CIGARETTES ARE PRODUCED IN THE MAKER, SPEED INCREASING MEANS ADAPTED TO INCREASE THE LINEAR SPEED OF CIGARETTES LEAVING THE SPEED CONTROL MEANS BY AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO ESTABLISH A SPACE BETWEEN ADJACENT ENDS OF THE AXIALLY ALIGNED CIGARETTES, AND VERTICAL TRANSFER MEANS FOR LOWERING THE SPACED CIGARETTES TO A COLLECTOR, SAID TRANSFER MEANS BEING PROVIDED WITH A SERPENTINE CHANNEL ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THE AXIALLY MOVING SPACED CIGARETTES AND TO LOWER THE CIGARETTES INDIVIDUALLY WHILE IN A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL AXIAL POSITION. 